


Nothing a Bottle of Wine Can't Fix

by PresidentDragon



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Lup is socially transitioned, Neighbors AU, Pre-Relationship, Transphobia, but from the other guy, in a neighbors kinda way, look I just wanted to write Barry and Lup being cute, look it all ends good trust me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-09
Updated: 2018-05-09
Packaged: 2019-05-04 13:01:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14593584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PresidentDragon/pseuds/PresidentDragon
Summary: “Usually I just chug from the bottle, but this shit’s too nice for that,” she said, eliciting a small laugh from Barry. She poured them both a generous amount and handed Barry his glass.“To ditching sorry-ass losers,” Lup said, raising her glass for a toast.“Yeah, to that,” Barry chuckled.~ wherein Lup got back from a bad date, and her neighbor Barry just wants to be nice.





	Nothing a Bottle of Wine Can't Fix

**Author's Note:**

> Barry and Lup are probably my only m/f ship and I love them so much, let them meet and be awkward. This is a very simple neighbors AU that I may or may not add to, depends on what I write.

Lup slammed her apartment door shut. Gods that guy was an ass. They were three dates in, and Lup thought she had finally found someone who, y’know, wasn’t a total transphobe. But of course he was. Nothing good ever seemed to happen to her, so this just about tracked with her shitty luck.

 

Things had just been going so well. It wasn’t like everyone she dated was awful, but that didn’t stop the bad ones from making her feel shitty. Hell, as a person it was her right to get pissed. Lup kicked her heels into a hall closet, then stomped to her room to change into her softest I’ve-had-a-bad-day pajamas. She was halfway through changing when the doorbell rang.

 

“Shit,” she hissed. “Be there in a sec!”

 

The pants would just have to wait. Lup jerked on her sleeping boxers (they had sick flame decal, but weren’t really great for everyday wear) and slipped a robe on over her loose t-shirt. The fabric fluttered behind her as she rushed down the short hall. She answered the door a little breathless and still tying up her robe.

 

“What’s u- Oh, uh, hi Barry.”

 

Her neighbor, Barry J. Bluejeans (she was, like, 98% certain that wasn’t his real surname), stood outside her door with what looked like an old-as-fuck bottle. Lup opened the door a little wider to lean on the door frame.

 

“Hey Lup, um, so I kinda saw what happened and… Well, I was saving this for a rainy day but- uh…” Barry seemed to lose all language functions for a moment. “One sec, I just gotta-” Lup waited silently while Barry collected his thoughts. In all honesty, it was kind of cute.

 

“Ok, so I saw that guy ditch you and you seemed kind of upset and I have this old wine that I’ve been saving for a bad day and this seemed like a good use for it so here.” He held the bottle out to her.

 

Lup took the bottle slowly, a genuine smile tugging at her lips. “Thanks, Barold, that’s real fuckin’ sweet. Wanna come in for a glass?”

 

“Oh, no, I couldn’t. You’re obviously going to bed, and I don’t want to impose-”

 

“You’re not gonna impose,” Lup interrupted. “I’m still too pissed to sleep, and drinking alone is lame. Besides, it’s your wine. Least I can do is dirty some glasses.”

 

Barry scratched at his neck. “I mean, if you’re sure I’m not imposing.”

  
  
  


“Come on in. Make yourself comfy or whatever.” Lup gestured to the living room with one hand as she moved to let Barry inside.

 

She set the bottle on the counter on her way into the kitchen. From the corner of her eye she watched Barry awkwardly sit on the farthest end of the couch. She and Taako only had the one couch, so he didn’t have much choice in seating. Lup returned a few moments later with two glasses and the bottle.

 

“Usually I just chug from the bottle, but this shit’s too nice for that,” she said, eliciting a small laugh from Barry. She poured them both a generous amount and handed Barry his glass.

 

“To ditching sorry-ass losers,” Lup said, raising her glass for a toast.

 

“Yeah, to that,” Barry chuckled. Their glasses clinked against each other, then Lup gulped a good half of her wine in one go.

 

“Man, that hit the spot,” she sighed. She eyed Barry over her glass before asking her first question. “How’d you know about my sorry-ass loser, anyways?”

 

Bright red bloomed across Barry’s face. “I wasn’t, uh, spying on you or anything-”

 

“Never said you were.” Lup smirked at Barry’s spluttering.

 

“Right. I was actually just getting home when I saw you two outside your apartment.”

 

Right, Lup’s thoughts echoed. Just before her date outed himself as a big ole douchebag, things had been getting pretty heated.

 

“Anyway, I opened my door and heard you start yelling at him. You looked really mad and upset while he left. I figured I’ve been sitting on this bottle here for long enough, waiting for a good excuse to drink it.”

 

Lup nodded at his story. “Seems legit. Thanks for this.” She lifted her glass and took a shallow swig.

 

They drank in silence for a few moments. Barry’s posture relaxed a bit as he sipped at his glass. It really was good wine, sweet and rich. It left a pleasant aftertaste on Lup’s tongue and a slight burn in her stomach. Not enough to be buzzed, but enough to feel a little better.

 

Barry finally broke the silence. “So, since you asked me a question, can I ask you one?”

 

“Shoot.”

 

“What was the fight about? You two seemed like you were getting along pretty well.”

 

Lup heaved a sigh into her glass. She figured this question would pop up. Hell, she was kind of hoping to find someone to vent to.

 

“Y’know how I’ve got a twin brother?” Barry nodded. “Well, we’re identical twins. Physically the same in every way.”

 

“Oh.” Barry nudged her shoulder with his, probably trying to be supportive. “Sorry about that.”

 

“Nah, don’t be. Truth had to come out sometime,” she replied. Barry snorted.

 

“That was a bad joke.”

 

“Shut up, I’m a master of comedy,” Lup laughed.

 

Barry took a slow sip of his wine. “If it makes you feel better, people have broken up with me for being bi before.”

 

“Dude, what the fuck?” Lup leaned forward, a scowl replacing her smile. “That’s the wackest shit I’ve ever heard. I’m gonna fight them all, you just tell me when and where.”

 

“No, it’s fine. Sometimes people suck, what can you do?”

 

Lup tilted her head and glanced at him, considering something for a moment. “Well, all things considered, I don’t think you suck. Unless you’re into that,” she finished with a wink.

  
  
  


Barry stared at his glass, an obvious blush spreading across his face. Lup beat herself up internally, of course she had to ruin what might be a pretty decent friendship with her horrible joke. She and Barry spoke up at almost the same moment.

 

“Shit, Barry, I’m sorry-” Lup began.

 

“Do you want to go out sometime?” Barry finished.

 

They looked at each other for a long second. Then another. And another. Barry opened his mouth to say something, anything to break the tension. Play it off as a joke, maybe. He had only just started talking to Lup, he didn’t want this to be the last time they spoke. Lup laid a hand on one of Barry’s, effectively silencing him.

 

“I’d like that,” she said.

 

A quiet moment passed, relief rather than tension-filled. Barry stood, suddenly, and placed his glass on the coffee table.

 

“Cool, great. I’m just gonna-” he started towards the front door, tripping over his own feet on the way. “See you, uhh, Friday?”

 

Lup hid her giggles behind her hand, poorly. “How about tomorrow, over coffee?” she said.

 

“Ok, yeah, awesome. See you then.” Barry left through the door, but popped his head back in at the last second. “Oh, and good night.”

 

“Good night, Barry.”

 

Her smile stuck around for a good ten minutes after her front door closed. Maybe that one saying was right: when one door closes a cute guy might show up on your doorstep with a bottle of wine and ask you out.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading that fluff show. I'm trying my best to write trans characters, but I may have gotten something wrong. If anyone has advice for writing trans characters or is trans and can correct anything about the trans experience that I got wrong, let me know. Follow me on tumblr at presidentdragon and presidentdragon-art or twitter @prezDragon for more of whatever this was. I post a lot of TAZ stuff, actually.


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